Cell therapy weekly: Additional cell therapy suites added to AGC Biologics Longmont facility
This week: Additional cell therapy suites added to AGC Biologics (WA, USA) Longmont facility in Colorado, Charles River (MA, USA) and Fondazione Telethon (Milan, Italy) enter a plasmid manufacturing collaboration and Fresenius Kabi (Bad Homburg, Germany) and Lupagen (TX, USA) enter strategic development and supply agreement.
The news highlights:
- Additional cell therapy suites added to AGC Biologics Longmont facility
- Charles River and Fondazione Telethon enter plasmid manufacturing collaboration
- Fresenius Kabi and Lupagen enter strategic development and supply agreement
Additional cell therapy suites added to AGC Biologics Longmont facility
AGC Biologics, a global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization, announced the expansion of its cell therapy facilities at its Longmont campus in Colorado. The capacity update includes three new Grade B cell therapy suites, with over 30,000 square feet of additional space, and means that the company can offer end-to-end cell therapy development and manufacturing services at its Longmont facility.
“The new cell therapy suites are a tremendous achievement for this site. We have integrated the latest technology to complete our unique cell therapy services and have created ideal environments for developing these life-changing treatments,” said Whitney Sandberg, General Manager, AGC Biologics Colorado. “This is the final piece for this campus that accompanies our comprehensive viral vector capabilities and gives developers a true end-to-end manufacturing site in North America to support their product’s every need, at any stage.”
Charles River and Fondazione Telethon enter plasmid manufacturing collaboration
Charles River Laboratories International and Fondazione Telethon have entered into a plasmid manufacturing collaboration, in which Fondazione Telethon will leverage Charles River’s GMP-compliant plasmid DNA batches, as well as its expertise in high-quality plasmid production. Fondazione Telethon will gain access to several of Charles River’s Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization centers of excellence and its established manufacturing platforms to further the company’s lentiviral-based ex vivo cell and gene therapy programs.
Corporate Senior Vice President of Biologics Solutions at Charles River, Kerstin Dolph, stated: “We are thrilled to work with Fondazione Telethon to produce HQ plasmid DNA for Fondazione Telethon’s lentivirus for ex vivo gene therapy. Charles River has had decades of success developing, producing, and reliably delivering plasmid DNA, which provides confidence customers are in safe hands.”
Fresenius Kabi and Lupagen enter strategic development and supply agreement
Fresenius Kabi has entered into a development and supply agreement with Lupagen. Fresenius Kabi will provide automated cell processing equipment and expertise in apheresis collection, enabling Lupagen to advance its Extracorporeal Cell and Gene Therapy Delivery System.
Nipon Das, co-founder and CEO of Lupagen, stated: “Lupagen’s mission is to make cell and gene therapy as common and widely accessible as standard blood transfusion or dialysis procedures. Therefore, we are excited about our collaboration with Fresenius Kabi, a global leader in blood and cell technologies, which accelerates deployment of our solution to patients who need these treatments the most.”
